How to Succeed as a 2LT: It’s About More Than “Running Fast and Shooting Straight”
As a lieutenant you’re often left to “figure it out” in the everyday aspects of accomplishing your task list but in order to succeed as a Platoon Leader you need to do three things: be humble, care, and lead with character. While “running fast and shooting straight” are in fact necessary skills for all officers, they are individual tasks. They are not first and foremost what is necessary in order to “win” as a second lieutenant, especially as a platoon leader.
With regards to “running fast”, before you leave BOLC you take an APFT, this score will be asked for when you get to your unit. Meaning if you think you are going to show up and “wow” the commanders or other higher leadership with your PT skills don’t be surprised to not be given the opportunity before being judged by your previous performance. You are judged before you walk in the door, and before you even lace up your running shoes. While PT is in fact very important (hint: lower than a 270 and most commanders won’t even consider giving you a platoon) it is something that you should already be prepared for, and already have demonstrated on your 1610 from BOLC. You must be fit, but that needs to be something you own as an individual and don’t expect to improve “on the ground” when you get to your unit.
In terms of “shooting straight”, the expectation is that every officer can shoot. I’ve yet to see any officer, regardless of rank, talk about range scores. The only exception is if it takes you more than one attempt to qualify, then there will be a discussion. Get on the range, zero, qualify, and then move about your day. It should just be “another day at the office”. In other words, while yes, a 23 on the range is not good, if you shoot 30+, no one is going to be overly concerned. And if you talk about how great you shot on the range most superiors are going to roll their eyes (at least mentally) because it is the expectation you will shoot well. It won’t make you stand out. And unless you’re an infantry officer you will probably only see a range every 6 months to qualify anyway. Qualify, check the box, move on. You must be good at it, but it’s not anything to get excited over.
First, coming in to a new Battalion or Company is intimidating, it’s understandable, but you don’t even know what you don’t know. Be humble, ask questions, admit when you don’t understand something or don’t know how to do something. Don’t be arrogant or overconfident or just a self-serving unapproachable lieutenant. The soldiers are more than willing to help teach the new “butter bar” if you are willing to be teachable. But if you come off as a know-it-all then they will only do the bare minimum and leave you high and dry when it counts. You have to earn their respect; they’ll respect what’s on your chest, but you as a person and whether or not they will go the extra mile in a pinch is something that you have to prove you have the privilege of holding. If you scream at them, or curse at them in order to accomplish the task you are probably wrong. I explained it to a peer like this: there is no difference in the end-state between “Go set up the [expletive] tent” and “Hey, Wilson, can you go set up the tent?” The major difference will be in how that soldier perceives you and whether or not they are going to be willing to assist you if you need help again. Because trust me, if you treat your soldiers like the first statement, good luck finding them when you need an additional task accomplished. Whatever it is will probably eventually get done, but it will be delayed and probably take an extra extended amount of time to come to fruition. Treat your soldiers well, and don’t act like you’re better than them. They are people just like you, you may hold more responsibility but they facilitate anything you accomplish, don’t underestimate or under-appreciate their efforts.
Second, humility and caring go hand in hand. You have to show the soldiers you care about them. They need to come before you, period. If you are worried about your OER and how you look in relation to your peers, and whether or not the boss sees you being awesome, then you are wrong. You have already lost. And your soldiers will see all day long what matters the most to you: you. They need to come first, and you need to do your job to shield them from the things that roll downhill. It’s your job to accomplish the mission, and you can’t do that without your soldiers. But how well you accomplish that mission will be dependent upon how motivated they are to follow you; if you create a toxic “me first” climate you will see an end result you’re not happy with, and the soldiers won’t care in the slightest. They’ll see it as your failure, and your failure alone. But if you create a culture of mutual respect then any failure will be seen by your soldiers as a collective failure and they will be disappointed in that outcome. It’s still ultimately your fault and failure to correct, but the difference in the morale of the unit is clearly seen. Care about your soldiers, and they will care about you and the mission. They will want to succeed, and they will want you to succeed.
Finally, lead with character, but more importantly, live with character. This is so much harder done than said. You will always know the “right” answer, but will you act in accordance with what you know is the right answer? You told the Battalion Commander you were going to qualify 16 soldiers on the M240B, but instead only 8 qualified. Your Company Commander wants to tell the Battalion Commander you qualified 16 and fudge the paperwork, what are you going to do? The Staff Duty requirements include checking a communications vault on the other side of the post twice, once before and once after midnight, and “no one does it” so why should you? It’s 0200 and you want to sleep; it’s probably not a big deal, right? You’re signing over property to another lieutenant, and you know a couple of items are missing, but you don’t point them out and the other lieutenant doesn’t notice, so it’s his fault, right? Everything becomes a slippery slope very quickly. Do the right thing, always, end of story. It may not make you the favorite guy in the unit but it will make you the most trustworthy, and trust me, that matters when it truly counts.
Overall, there are so many nuisances to different leadership styles and tactics that you will pick up on your own and try out, and ultimately fail with at some point. But the goal is to learn from mistakes and never make the same one twice. I can promise you that if you do the three things mentioned here: be humble, care, and lead with character, that you will be a good lieutenant, a good leader of soldiers. You will succeed as a lieutenant beyond yourself, because while “running fast and shooting straight” are important, they are individual tasks. We must remember we are leaders, and those we lead (or will lead) come first, they simply must. With that in mind, please look beyond your own OER, beyond “running fast and shooting straight”, and every other individual skill or achievement. If you simply put your soldiers first, and do your job to the best of your ability, then your OER will write itself. In the end, if you live with character, lead with humility, and show your soldiers you care, then you will be successful and all will be just fine.
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2LT Maddie Crimmins is a Field Artillery officer currently serving as a firing platoon leader in Alpha Battery, 1-38 FAR in Camp Casey, Korea. She holds a BS in Law from the U.S. Military Academy and is currently working on a MA in Diplomacy through Norwich University.
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Photo credit: US DoD
